Paracas and Northern Peru: Endemic Dip-Fest (1 Viewer)

ovenbird43 said:

Yeah, I've perhaps focused too much on what I missed that day that I've overlooked some of the good species I got!

Click to expand...

I've found myself doing this unhealthy thing here too, and am only really appreciating what I did see in hindsight (now that birding's pretty much come to a grinding halt, as we've discovered we can't do it harmoniously as a family in a place as tough as Peru.) I think it's hard to enjoy the few you do see when knowing it's just the tip of the iceberg compared to what's there...and when most of the time in the field is spent failing to see calling birds, or getting frustrating unidentifiable glimpses of things!

...then looking back on it all, I realise I've been bemoaning that in 3 months of part-time softcore clueless Muppet birding, I've only managed to find and identify as many species as have been recorded in the UK by all birders combined since birding began! ...what a strange hobby...I think I need to see a shrink!

Nov 4

I woke up feeling somewhat ill - exhausted, dizzy, and slightly nauseous, worried that I was coming down with something. I had originally wanted this second morning in Pomacochas as a back-up day for San Lorenzo in case I missed the Pale-billed Antpitta - but having pushed too hard the day before and not having additional information that might result in better luck, I settled on an easy walk down to Laguna Pomacochas. The fields on the way down were thick with Peruvian Meadowlarks, striking red, black and white and singing their delightful whistling and buzzing songs. There were Cattle Egrets and one stunning Andean Lapwing. At the lake there is a short dock that passes through the tall marsh vegetation surrounding the lake, where there were Common Gallinule and Yellow-bellied Seedeater. Nothing to be seen on the lake itself, I didn't stay long, but on the way back I found a few more species in the trees lining the fields by the road - a pair of Golden-rumped Euphonias and an obliging pair of Rufous-browed Peppershrikes.

Back on the main street, I asked around at various transportation agencies about a colectivo headed toward Moyobamba, from which I could get off at Fundo Alto Nieva. All of them told me that the next departures were in the evening, which was later than I preferred - I wondered if I should have inquiried the evening before, perhaps there were early-morning departures I had missed. I also wonder now if I could have just waited on the main street and flagged down something coming from Cajamarca - probably so. In the end though I was recommended to try Progreso Express, which seems to operate as a private taxi service - they were able to set out immediately and directly for Fundo Alto Nieva, but the price of such convenience was 70 soles. I decided it was worth it, so off we set around 9 am.

We arrived at Fundo Alto Nieva at 10 am, and with my backpack it was an easy hike of a quarter mile or so from the highway to the lodge. I met the caretaker Kenny, and learned that there had been a miscommunication (I later learned it was entirely my fault) about the booking - they were fully booked that night and not expecting me until the next night. However, after some discussion, Kenny kindly cleaned up an extra room usually set aside for guides, so all turned out ok. Afterwards, I set out for the nearby hummingbird feeders.

The feeders were fairly quiet, not buzzing with activity as at so many other locations - but visitors included Booted Racket-tail, Violet-fronted Brilliant, White-bellied Woodstar, and Lesser Violetear. A Pale-edged Flycatcher came by in the scrub in the background. I walked a short way down the trail past the feeders, coming across a stunning male Golden-headed Quetzal. Otherwise things were quiet, and although I felt less nauseous I still felt exhausted and even feverish - I decided it was best to nap through the quietest part of the day, and set off back to my room.

I woke up feeling a bit better and anxious to see some birds. Around 3 pm Kenny and I set off down one of the trails. A Cinnamon-breasted Tody-Tyrant called from some thick vegetation, and with a bit of coaxing it came out for some brief views. This was quickly followed by a vocal and inquisitive Bar-winged Wood-Wren, a much-desired lifer for me and quite common at the reserve. Later on we encountered a mixed-species flock with Olive-backed Woodcreeper, Streaked Tufted-Cheek, and Ornate Flycatcher. There were also Yellow-throated Tanager, another lifer in the gaudy genus Iridisornis.

At about 5 pm we arrived at the Ochre-fronted Antpitta feeding spot, a little spur off the main trail in thick forest, where Kenny put the mealworms onto some moss-laden branches and we sat back to wait. Kenny whistled for them and called out their names, and after a few minutes one began to respond. Suddenly they appeared, both the male and female Ochre-fronted Antpittas, a coveted endemic species and one that has only recently begun coming to worms at FAN. The male did not stay long, but the female was more obliging and gave me plenty of opportunity to get photos. She stayed for maybe five minutes and then moved off into the tangled forest.

Satisfied with the encounter, we worked our way back to the lodge, where another visiting group had arrived from their day of birding the surrounding area. We had dinner and then set off for night birds - Kenny and I for Long-whiskered Owlet, the other group for Cinnamon-bellied Screech-Owl. We walked a ways up a trail that follows a small stream, and stopped at the first location. Kenny played the owlet call for a few minutes, we waited, then tried again, waited - no response. It was magical to be out in this forest at night - pitch-black except for the fireflies, which flashed brighter than any I've seen back home, with the sound of the trickling stream as a backdrop. We moved up to another spot higher along the trail, and this time had a response. The owlet called from a distance for a few minutes, and then flew in right overhead. With a bit of searching we were able to see it in the flashlight - directly above us, there was no mistaking it although we couldn't see the face. We tried to move around for a better view, but the ground by the trail and steep and full of branches and roots, so despite care to minimize noise, the owlet flew off. Attempts to coax it back were unsuccessful to we quickly gave up and let it be. We tried a third spot in attempt to get better views without luck. There would not be an opportunity to try the next night, since the staff tries to limit over-exposure to tape playback. So... success, but better view desired.

Photos: Rufous-browed Peppershrike, Ochre-fronted Antpitta male and female

Enjoying the read - can I ask what camera/lens you are using for the photos please?

Mick

MTem said:

Enjoying the read - can I ask what camera/lens you are using for the photos please?

Mick

Click to expand...

Canon Rebel T2i with a 70-300 mm lens, which I bought about 5 years ago.

Bit late for you Abby, but in case it's useful to others, we found a travel office on the south side of the main street in Pomacochas where a combi stops at about 10.30 going between Chachapoyas and Moyabamba. The guys at the combi stand on the north side of the road didn't want to tell us about it though, and just offered a taxi service!

Nov 5

Today I had all day at FAN, beginning with a trip to see the Rusty-tinged Antpittas. The pair came in quickly to the worms and gave good views, one approaching incredibly close - I'm disappointed in my photos given such great opportunity, didn't have the settings quite right! But an awesome experience with another endemic species.

After breakfast I wandered the trails on my own. Much of the time it was very quiet, although spotting a pair of silent White-eared Solitaires was a lucky find. After a couple hours of wandering I found a large mixed-species flock along a ravine near the Rusty-tinged Antpitta spot, where the topography offered good viewing and the flock staying in one area for a while. Here I got smashing views of Gray-mantled Wren, not an endemic but local and uncommon and, for me, a highly desired lifer. I noted that it seemed to specialize in peering at the undersides of the branches along which it crept, always head down with tail in the air. Another long-awaited lifer was Barred Becard, a quick view of a male high in the treetops. The flock also contained a pair of Inca Flycatchers, an endemic species. Other flock participants included Spotted Barbtail, Cinnamon Flycatcher, Green-and-black Fruiteater, Sharpe's Wren, Three-striped and Russet-crowned Warblers, Common Bush-Tangers (aka Common Chlorospingus), and a good diversity of Tangara tanagers.

After about an hour and a half the flock moved off and I returned to the lodge to fix a quick lunch. Afterwards I wandered the eastern set of trails. Things were very quiet, other than Southern Emerald-Toucanet and a Uniform Antshrike. Later in the afternoon Kenny joined me for some more wandering, though the forest remained frustratingly quiet, with little seen and nothing new before we returned for dinner.

After dinner we set out to find Cinnamon Screech-Owl. There was no response at our first location, where last night's group had gotten great views. I was very tired and tempted to give up but decided I was willing to try the second location, about 30-40 minutes' hike from where we stood. We were rewarded for the effort though, the screech-owl was already calling as we approached and it quickly came in to playback to give great views. A second called from nearby. A lifer, though I wasn't sure at the time - a few years ago I had seen the very similar Rufescent Screech-Owl in Ecuador and couldn't remember off the top of my head which one I'd seen.

Nov 6

My last morning at FAN, I had asked Kenny about a few targets I was still missing and decided to search some of the nearby areas outside the reserve for Johnson's Tody-Flycatcher and Royal Sunangel. I first searched for the former along a trail that runs north from the highway just a bit to the west of the FAN entrance. I walked slowly along the trail, playing the calls from my cell phone at many likely-looking spots (bamboo tangles), but no response, and little besides the more common second-growth birds around. I gave up after a bit and moved on to the Royal Sunangel spot, which is at a bend in the main highway a km or so west of the FAN entrance, where there are some rock faces and overhanging flowers (site is marked in eBird at ACP Abra Patricia -- Trocha Royal Sunangel). Things seemed promising immediately as I saw a few Green-fronted Thornbills sparring with each other, a beautiful species and a lifer. I walked up a little farther and saw some reddish flowers up on the hillside and watched those for a bit - not too much except for White-bellied Woodstar. Then I moved just a bit further around the bend and saw a tall shrub with pendant pink-and-white flowers right by the road, and feeding on them was a stunning male Royal Sunangel! I watched for a bit as it fed, perched at the top, flew off, came back to repeat, and snapped some worthless photos. As I was about to leave I heard a trogon-y sound behind me, and followed the calls to a tree peeking over the roadside drop-off and spotted a female Crested Quetzal. A lifer, though I would have preferred a male - but hey I'll take it! On the way back to FAN I ran into a decent tanager flock up on the hillside, which included Deep-blue Flowerpiercer, several of the gaudy Tangara species, and Sierran Elaenia.

It was mid-morning when I packed up my stuff and checked out of FAN. I walked to the nearby restaurant to wait for a ride. I waited for maybe 2 hours, with the rain falling off and on, combis coming by occasionally but all full. Finally a van headed to Neuvo Cajamarca stopped and had one seat available in the middle of the front. I had been hoping for a direct ride to either Moyobamba or Tarapoto, but settled on this after the wait, and after he said something about nothing being able to pass to Moyobamba... I found out later what that meant!

Some time later we arrived in Neuvo Cajamarca, and I walked down to a Turismo Cajamarca stall and got in a car headed for Moyobamba. Or so I thought - again, I had been told something about a stop in Rioja, but I didn't know what they really meant until we arrived to the outskirts of Rioja and drove past a long line of trucks stopped on the highway. Our car skirted by them and took us to the front of the line, where there was a protest blockade. The driver unceremoniously dropped us off and handed us our luggage. Not sure what to do, I eventually bumbled my way through the situation - the protesters allowed me through the blockade, where I found a line of waiting mototaxis - after walking for a few minutes and realizing the other side was a long way off, I hopped into a mototaxi to take me to the other side of the blockade. There, I and many others had to wait for maybe 15 minutes as somebody from the protest group gave a news interview, and then they opened the blockade for pedestrians to get out. We moved through, though tensions were high and one lady shouted angrily for us to hurry. There were combis and cars waiting on the other side, so I got into another Turismo Cajamarca car headed for Tarapoto.

Most of the remaining journey was a little less eventful - there was a 45-minute wait for construction at one point, and then winding down the mountains close to Tarapoto made one of the passengers extensively and repeatedly carsick - apparently a regular occurrence, the driver was prepared with vomit bags and rubbing alcohol. We made it to Tarapoto in the early evening, and I had to have a mototaxi drop me off at an ATM because I was down to my last couple soles - no ATMS beyound Moyobamba and I hadn't stopped even there, I had planned my cash needs well but cut it a bit close! After checking into Hostel Bambu I splurged and went out for dinner at a nice restaurant for the only time during the whole trip.

Some more great birds! I guess you meant lance not thorn??

I also walked uphill along the road on my last morning at FAN, as Kenny said there was a chance of differenut spp, especially after c3km, above the bridge over the Nieva. I managed a couple of lifer s, White-collared Jay and Inca Flycatcher, and a couple of tanager flocks with bits and bobs in. I recall passing the cliffy bit (with Cliff Flycatchers), so guess that's the spot you saw the sunangel. Driving rain sent me back for breakfast!

Larry Sweetland said:

Some more great birds! I guess you meant lance not thorn??

I also walked uphill along the road on my last morning at FAN, as Kenny said there was a chance of differenut spp, especially after c3km, above the bridge over the Nieva. I managed a couple of lifer s, White-collared Jay and Inca Flycatcher, and a couple of tanager flocks with bits and bobs in. I recall passing the cliffy bit (with Cliff Flycatchers), so guess that's the spot you saw the sunangel. Driving rain sent me back for breakfast!

Click to expand...

Oops, thanks for catching another mistake, yep I meant Green-fronted Lancebill!

We're finally leaving Peru tomorrow, so I'll read the rest of yours and Simmo's reports at home. The birding ended nicely with a Swallow-tailed Gull, right at the end of yesterday morning's Paracas tourist boat trip. Couldn't find those pesky Peruvian Terns though.

Excellent report

Very brave of you to do this area on your own - sarah says she would have missed a lot more than you did if she was brave enough .

Nov 7

It was raining fairly hard when I woke up so I delayed departure a little bit, hailing a motoaxi as the rain began to lighten up. I instructed the driver to take me to the tunnel along the highway that goes over the Cordillera Escalera, he had no idea what I meant but I showed him on my phone and off we went. We got there at 7:30 am, the driver a bit incredulous that I wanted to be dropped off here alone. I told him I was fine, paid him 40 soles (more than I had planned but he was friendly and eager to help) and waved him off.

There was good bird activity despite the dense fog, with a mixed-species flock right by the tunnel with Peruvian Tyrannulet, Red-eyed Vireo, Marble-faced Bristle-Tyrant, and Slate-throated Redstart, all obligingly hanging around long enough for me to get good looks through the thick soupy fog. I began walking downhill, stopping frequently for birds - Cliff Flycatchers, a pair of Curl-crested Aracaris, Pygmy Antwren, Buff-throated Tody-Tyrant, Channel-billed Toucan, and a good diversity of lowland tanagers.

I got to the Koepcke's Hermit reserve at 9:30, spotting a distant White Hawk as I approached from the highway. There wasn't anyone at the entrance, but the main trails and the feeders were marked on my phone map so I set off along the trails. The second growth areas were bustling with flycatchers, including calling Alder Flycatcher, Western Wood-Pewee, Short-crested Flycatcher, and Gray-capped Flycatcher. When I reached the hummingbird feeders, here I found the reserve staff along with a group of Tawanese photographers, sitting with some of the biggest camera lenses I've ever seen, their guide moving the feeders and vegetation around in attempt to set up better shots. I sat down to join them and watched the action, with predominant species being Gould's Jewelfront, White-necked Jacobin, Gray-breasted Sabrewing, Sapphire-spangled Emerald, and Golden-tailed Sapphire. The Koepcke's Hermit showed up after about 15 minutes and came by regularly as I watched, and was the first visitor to a heliconia that had been hung by the feeders and injected with sugar water.

Once I was satisfied with the hummingbirds I headed up the trail into primary rainforest, finding many species familiar from my time at Tiputini in eastern Ecuador - Golden-headed Manakin, White-throated Toucan, a mixed-species flock with Dusky-throated Antshrike, Rufous-tailed Antwren, White-breasted Woodwren (completing the trifecta of Henicorhyna wrens for the trip!) and Black-faced Antthrush calling in th distance. I returned to the feeders and talked with the reserve guide, after conferring with the visiting photographers and determining that they wanted to continue photographing the hummers for another hour, he led me off to show me the roosting Long-tailed Potoo - the second time I've seen this species but the encounter was just as magical as the first, the potoo well-camouflaged just above eye level and peering at us with its staring yellow eye partway open.

Bird activity slowed down as the afternoon sun beat down, so I decided to work my way back to Tarapoto. I didn't even have to wait 5 minutes at the entrance at the Koepcke Hermit reserve before a Turismo Cajamarca car came by and picked me up. I had them drop me off at the restaurant named El Mono y La Gata, where I picked up some beverages and walked down to the nearby waterfalls. On the way I was treated to nice views of White-tipped and White-collared Swifts flying about acrobatically. I paid the entrance fee and walked the trail to the fall itself, which was pleasant but birdless other than a Koepcke's Hermit. Afterwards, I hitched a ride back to Tarapoto in order to prepare for my evening flight to Lima.

Nov 8

This was mostly a travel day, I had signed up for conference-organized transport from the airport to Paracas, and arrived to my hostel in Paracas in the late afternoon. I took a quick stroll along the waterfront with what remained of the daylight, seeing common birds including massive Peruvian Pelicans, numerous Neotropical Cormorants, 5 species of gulls (Franklin's, Grey-hooded, Belcher's, Kelp, and Gray), and shorebirds including American Oystercatcher, Whimbrel, and many Ruddy Turnstones.

Nov 9

I spent most of this day attending a pre-conference workshop at the Hilton/Doubletree, but there is good birding on and around the hotel grounds. A short walk south brings one to the edge of Paracas National Reserve. Beyond the fence were thousands of roosting waterbirds - Black Skimmers and Franklin's Gulls were most numerous, but there were smatterings of other common species. Most notable were the 9 or so Hudsonian Godwits. The pilings behind the hotel also held roosting terns, Royal, Sandwich, and Elegant, with Peruvian Boobies foraging in the background.

Nov 10-11

Conference days - casual birding around the Doubletree, nothing of note except for an Amazilia Hummingbird in downtown Paracas, which I didn't even realize at the time was a lifer! I assumed I had seen it during my previous trip to coastal Peru. I also came down with a nasty cold, though fortunately it didn't hit until after I had given my presentation the first day.

Nov 12

This was a free day and several field trips had been organized as part of the conference. I attended the all-day trip into the Andes along the highway that goes through the village of Huaytara. Our bus left Paracas around 6 am and we arrived at our first stop (highway km 68) at 7:30, in the lower slopes of the Andes, with cactus dotting the mountainsides and scrub lining the river. Here we had Long-tailed Mockingbird, Cinereous Conebill, Amazilia Hummingbird, Blue-and-yellow Tanagers, and a few other common species. Best find here was a pair of Bran-colored Flycatchers, the richly-colored rufescens subspecies that is a probable future split, building a nest in the scrub above the the road.

Our next stop was at km 73, where there was a restaurant and row of shops. The habitat was similar but we added Croaking Ground-Dove, and most people got to see the endemic Black-naped Woodpecker; unfortunately I and a few others only caught a quick, untickable glimpse as it flew off far down the hillside. Drat!!

We pulled over briefly just past km 81 for a large soaring raptor that turned out to be a Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle being harassed by a couple American Kestrels. There were also Andean Swifts overhead.

Our next stop at km 102 was a bit above the coastal desert zone, with thicker scrub vegetation and some eucalyptus that had been planted next to some houses. This was a busy, productive spot, with a real highlight being a group of Andean Parakeets that landed briefly in some roadside trees, allowing everybody a good view before they flew off again. We had great views of Oasis Hummingbird and Purple-collared Woodstar, and a pair of Yellow-billed Tit-Tyrants. There were many of the common species as well such as Blue-and-yellow Tanager, plus a group of Hooded Siskins, the first Chiguanco Thrush of the day, and the only Scrub Blackbird of the trip.

We continued on for quite a while before stopping again, with crisp, cool air greeting us as we got off the bus at 3800 m at the Inkawasi de Huaytara Archaeological Site. There was good bird activity down in the canyon below the dried-up reservoir, with a brief view of Buff-breasted Earthcreepers, Black-billed Shrike-Tyrant, a group of Cream-winged Cinclodes, and just about every sierra-finch-type-thing possible: Peruvian, Mourning, Ash-breasted, and Plumbeous Sierra-Finch, plus a flyby Greenish Yellow-Finch. The reservoir was mostly mud but nonetheless contained a big group of Yellow-billed Teal, and a pair of Andean Geese flew in and gave us all great views. We walked down a dirt road past some fenced pastures and buildings, adding Andean Flicker, White-fronted and Rufous-naped Ground-Tyrants. A shout of "Condor!!" got everyone's attention, and we were treated to fairly close views of a male Andean Condor soaring past us. Also up in the sky were Mountain Caracara and Variable Hawk.

We continued ever higher, reaching up into the wide expanse of the Puna and spotting many Vicuna (wild ancestor of the Alpaca) from the bus, and stopping for one group next to the road. We made two more stops to walk out into the puna, one stop netting Common Miner and the endemic Dark-winged Miner, Aplomado Falcon, and Bright-rumped Yellow-Finch; the last stop at a wet area with Crested Ducks. We turned around at 3 pm for the 3 or so hours of driving back to Paracas; it had been a great day of birding and the drive was scenic, although descending from ~4500 m to sea level was hell on my badly congested sinuses and ears, it took a while before I could properly hear again!

Nice report, I just saw it and it was fun to read and relive some memories. Thank you for sharing!

Agreed, there are a lot of tough birds in N Peru. I spent about 6 weeks birding northernmost Peru (Piura, Cajamarca and San Martin areas) in 2016 and still have a healthy list of birds I could go back for. Notably I dipped Andean Slaty Thrush everywhere in Ecuador and Peru over about 8 months in S Ecuador and Peru in total, though at some point I imagine I'll see it in Bolivia or N Argentina. More painfully I really tried for and struck out on Jelski's Black-Tyrant and Andean Laniisoma, and left a couple frustrating heard only birds - Subtropical Pygmy-Owl and Taczanowski's Tinamou. Your Gray-bellied Hawk would be a long desired tick, and a Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon would be welcome, friends had one in Plataforma that I missed by just minutes. I did see a lot of amazing birds there though, and am hoping to get back to the Cordillera Azul, would like to do the Yellow-browed Toucanet trek, as well as explore more in Amazonas, go for the White-masked Antbird, and finally get to Iquique!